Spiraling
by Mahadi
Summary: Adrien has Obsessive Love Disorder. Reverse Crush AU. (Rated M because of the symptoms that will be displayed.)
1. Prologue

The first time he noticed Marinette was on the first day of school. She had been the first person to hate him. The whole experience seems somewhat surreal now that he looks back on it. (Which he does a lot when he is bored.)

Everyone had immediately shunned him as a consequence of knowing his friendly ties to Chloe, Mayor Bourgeois's only daughter. Of course, no one had huffed at him indignantly or given him the stink eye either, that had been Marinette when she caught him kneeling over her seat with Chloe and Sabrina letting our twin giggles.

He still remembered how he realized he'd never seen anyone with eyes _so blue_. Back then, he hadn't known her name, so for a few moments she was just his new super-cute classmate who would absolutely hate his guts in just a few seconds. What a great start.

A look of understanding had settled on her porcelain face. "Oh, I get it," she said shooting daggers at them with her eyes. "Good job you three." Adrien would have- _should_ have-straightened things out there and then, but his mind immediately flashed to Chloe. She was still his only friend. Given how the rest of the class had already decided what they thought of him, if he threw her under the bus, he would have no one. He'd be alone. So instead, he kept his mouth shut and took a seat by his present-day best friend, Nino. (Not that he knew that back then.)

"Why didn't you tell her it wasn't you?" Nino had whispered. Very good question.

"Chloe is my only friend," he'd explained. "I couldn't just throw her under the bus like that."

The dark skinned boy offered him a friendly smile. "I think you need to make new friends. I'm Nino." Nino's sudden friendliness had resurrected the hope that had died only minutes earlier.

"I'm Adrien." They shared a smile.

…

Later that same day, it had started to rain. He was surprised at how well his first experience in school was going so far, especially with the new addition of being a superhero, the new villain called Hawk Moth, and the tiny (somewhat irritating) gluttonous floating cat that was his Kwami. There had been no forecast of it (none that _he_ remembered anyway). It hadn't been a problem anyway, he would be leaving by car as per his father's conditions. He got out his umbrella and continued to walk out toward the front of the school. As he got closer, he was able to make out a petite figure more and more clearly.

It was Marinette.

He had stopped a few steps behind her, mapping out his next move as carefully as humanly possible. He took a deep breath and went up to her. She eyed him warily. "I just wanted you to know that I didn't put that gum on your seat. I was just trying to remove it. I've never really been to school before or had any friends, so it's all still pretty new to me. I hope we can be friends." He chose that moment to hand her his already open umbrella (when had he done that?). Their fingers brushed briefly in the exchange, sending a jolt of electricity through him. A light pink sheen covered her freckled cheeks. They stood there, watching one another for several beats.

 _How cute_ , he'd noted absently. _I like her freckles_.

 _SNAP!_

The umbrella closed around her, snapping them out of their little bubble long enough for him to forget the warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest and belly and let out a roar of laughter. She had peeked out at him from under the umbrella, blinking rapidly. Then she giggled along with him. And as if by magic, the fuzzy feeling came back.

 _BEEP BEEP!_

His driver was becoming impatient. "I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette."

She nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, Adrien."

He turned and took the steps two at a time, not wanting to get drenched and irritate his father. Plagg poked out from his over-shirt. "Hey! It's only been your first day and you already got a girlfriend," he teased. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"She's not my girlfriend Plagg." _Yet_ , a part of him whispered. His face erupted in an unwelcome shade of red, sending Plagg into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, then what is she?"

"Mari's a friend," He gasped and then smiled. "A friend…" He stepped into the car and looked back at the inky-haired girl. The warm, fuzzy feeling continued.

And it would only grow.

…

The golden haired boy sighed dreamily as he reminisced in his earliest memories of the ethereal being known as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It had only been approximately five months since that fateful day, but it felt as if it had been so much longer. Was it possible for a person to be so deliriously in love after only five months? How could he ask something so silly, of course it was possible! He was living proof after all. But then, Mari was an easy person to love.

Which was why he was currently watching her through the cameras he had installed in her home while everyone slept. He had left some blind spots of course, he respected her privacy. Or at least as much privacy as he could give his true love while also protecting her. (He was her knight in shining leather not some common pervert.)

Besides, the feed was always on live-unless he decided to record for future reference purposes-so it didn't matter to much anyway. At that very moment, he watched her while she rested on her pink chaise, sketching a new design. Her brow was furrowed and she'd stuck out her tongue in concentration. She was so utterly adorable.

He traced her face on the screen on with his finger, counting her freckles and discovering every constellation they could possibly make. He heard her mother call her down to dinner and chuckled. He would have such wonderful in laws. That didn't mean he still didn't need to observe them. If he didn't get along with them it would make future familial gatherings extremely tense and awkward. He didn't want to put that sort of burden on his Princess. Adrien wanted to make sure she was happy. And that her heart belonged only to him.

Because if she dared love anyone else he would destroy her.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I apologize for the initial confusion. To answer your questions on his awareness of Marinette's alter ego, he is still unaware. I understand that I had him set up cameras in her home and all, but I'm choosing to treat it as a sort of glamour that comes with owning a miraculous. (Seriously, I cannot be the only person who questioned the fact that they transform and de-transform at the Bourgeois hotel-a place _crawling_ with cameras.)

If any of the security and/or Chloe haven't put two and two together by now, there must be a reason. So I made one up for the sake of the story, this is a fanfiction after all. And to explain how their identities would have been exposed due to akumas (i.e. Lady Wifi, Dark Owl, and others) I like to think that their identities would only be clear to another miraculous holder, or to the akumatized person so long as they remain under the influence of the butterfly. Of course none of this is true for the show, but for my story it will be. When I first started writing this, I honestly never dreamed that anyone would comment on it and much less _like_ it. So from now on, I'll try to make the writing quality better and work on making longer chapters. And just to avoid future confusion, would it be more helpful if I were to provide you with more background information? (I should add that in the story, transforming with someone else in the room will result in said person knowing the identity of the holder, the glamour will not have the same affect.)

Fair warning, the time line might be a little off because if the whole "five months" thing.

* * *

Adrien stared at Marinette's backside longingly. Usually, he, Nino, Alya, and Mari would share their lunch break together, talking about nothing and everything. They'd joke around and do everything friends did, and the best part-he knew Alya had picked up on his feelings for the Midnight-haired angel long ago. She'd been helping him spend more time with her best friend ever since the (rather irking) pigeon akuma. However, a few days ago, they'd express the need to sort out a few issues without the two boys, much to his chagrin, and had spent their breaks hunched over their food and whispering. He'd kill to have Alya's position right now (with less of a friendship and more of a romance of course).

Fortunately, he wasn't the only one suffering at the loss of closeness with his other two friends (alright _fine_ , he could do without Alya) as he had caught the male brunette beside him stealing glances at the girls as well. For the sake of their friendship and his own, Adrien hoped he wasn't enamored by his Princess. That would be an inconvenient complication. But nonetheless, he'd find alternative ways to deal with those pesky feelings if they did exist. Only he truly loved the blue-eyed beauty so whatever Nino felt was probably fleeting and fickle. (Ugh, just _imagining_ such a horrible scenario made him want to strangle the boy.)

He sighed. _Stop being silly. If Nino_ did _like her, he would have said something to you and it would have been taken care of by now. Stop doubting your friend, he's been one of your greatest tools so far._

When they finished their respective meals, Nino gave him another mixtape to listen to, so that was nice. Sometimes Adrien couldn't help but be a little envious at his best friend's passion for music. A passion like that would have certainly made his piano lessons easier to swallow. Before it was his mother that had made it seem like a worthwhile endeavour, now it was another mindless activity to fill his time with. Time he could be spending with Princess.

As of late, his father had taken to finding newer and more ridiculous ways to fill his free time. Always more, more, and more. It made Adrien wonder if he would ever be able to do what he wanted.

 _Probably not_ , he thought bitterly. _Hell would freeze over first_.

"-and then I jumped into a shark tank. And died." Adrien hummed in response.

"Dude, I have no idea if I should be offended or grateful that you're at least pretending like you're listening." Nino paused, considering the blond's disposition. "You know that if there's anything bothering you… you can tell me. I'd have to be the shittest friend in the universe not to at _least_ let you vent."

"I just got caught up thinking," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. _Stupid tell._

"Anything in particular?" Nino pushed. He learned a long time ago just how perseptive the dark skinned boy could be. If he didn't feed him something soon, he'd get suspicious. It wasn't the right time to let him know about his intentions towards Princess quite yet. He knew that she and Nino had basically known eachother since diapers, and definitely didn't fall in love with each other like in the animes ( _thank God_ ), but he still wondered about how his friend would feel knowing the true extent of his feelings for the girl. If Plagg's reaction was anything to go by, he had to be patient and wait until their friendship was strong enough.

"Not really. My father's just being more of an ass than usual."

"So more photoshoots then?"

Adrien snorted. "Yeah. And more of everything else, too." _And now I have to use all my free time to check in on my Princess, but you don't need to know that._

"That totally blows," Nino sympathized, shaking his head. "Any idea when you'll be free next?"

He shrugged. "Next Friday afternoon if he hasn't already decided to monopolize that too. I wouldn't put it past him to book me 'till sometime next month."

"Geez, you'd think being a big time businessman would know having his employees work too much is actually bad for business. Especially for a fifteen year old that also happens to be his son." Adrien sent him a quizzical look.

Nino rolled his eyes. "What? If I'm going to be a DJ someday, I need to know my way around the business end of things. Just because I zone out in class most of the time doesn't mean I'm a _complete_ dunce."

Adrien chuckled at that. His friend was certainly smarter than he gave him credit for. Who could blame him? Princess was just much more fun to focus on.

 _Ring Ring!_

"We should go," Nino urged. "Bustier won't like it if we're late."

"Yeah," Adren agreed "let's go."

They walked together up the green stairway. He wished he was with Mari. His arm would be thrown over her shoulders lazily, keeping her close to him, and her arm would be around his waist. He sighed dreamily, turning his head so Nino wouldn't notice. _One day._ As soon as they walked in, Adrien surveyed the room. He'd made it a habit to observe his classmates in those small moments to get of feel of any possible change there might be. Like say, developing a crush on his Princess. It could happen at any given moment and he had to be prepared to deal with it effectively as to not jeopardize his future relationship. Luckily (quite ironic), there didn't seem to be any unordinary behavior. (But he wished Chole would stop winking and sending him kisses. He worried that it gave Mari the wrong idea).

Sunlight filtered into the classroom through the high windows and bathed the students in a warm golden glow. Many of them slouched in their seats, glaring daggers at the clock in a fruitless attempt to make time go by faster. Their brows were furrowed in frustration. A few only barley bothering to veil their disinterest in the teacher at the front of the room. She was a good teacher sure, but a student in a food coma was an unhappy student. Adrien and Nino slipped into their seats as Madame Bustier began to go over the attendance. As soon as she was done, she asked everyone to take out their respective books and turn to the chapter that had been assigned for homework.

"Can anyone explain the symbolism in the passage read as an assignment? Part of your homework was to jot down some notes." a silence fell over the room in a thick blanket. "Anyone?" Adrien would have answered, always in hopes of polishing his image in Marinette's eyes further, but he was more concerned with the conversation going on between the two girls seated behind him.

"Don't bother denying it, girl-I can see right through you. You've totally got the hots for one of Paris' resident superheros!" Alya whisper-shouted.

Marinette had a crush on a superhero!? He could work with that-if and when it happened to be Chat Noir. If it was ladybug she was crushing on, he'd have to look into ways of removing the competition. It'd have to be the least suspicious way possible. No scrutiny could fall on his alter ego or it would make Princess weary of him. _It'd be so much easier if she wasn't so popular. I wonder if Paris is gullible enough to fall for a made up sob story…_

"Alya!" Marinette hissed, dragging out the last syllable of her best friend's name. "I don't have a crush, I just admire the work put into protecting the city and its citizens. That's all."

 _Bullshit._

"Aw, c'mon Mari, you totally have a crush on- " Alya paused for effect. He could basically feel his beloved's ruby red blush from his seat.

 _Get on with it already!_

"-The one and only…"

 _Yes?_

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class ladies? Perhaps an answer to the question?"

 _Dammit Bustier why'd you have to butt in?_

"N-no Madame. It won't happen again," Marinette apologized.

"Oh I know it won't," she said sternly, crossing her arms. "Because you will both have all the time in the world to talk to each other in Monsieur Damocles' office."

Adrien's heart dropped. If he didn't spend a certain amount of time with Marinette, he'd get physical withdrawals. Weekends and breaks were always the worst. He watched as Marinette walked out of the classroom with a frown on her beautiful face, a somewhat irritate Alya hot on her heels.

 _There's no other way to go about it then,_ he decided. _A certain black cat is going to have to pay a visit to the Princess in her tower._ He smiled smugly to himself. He would have to come up with a legitimate excuse for his visit. _Hmm…_

Whatever time they spent together would have to be enough to draw out some answers. Perhaps he could use his alter ego to woo her. It was clear that he wouldn't be able to get very far as Adrien. He had his father to blame for that, and Chloe too. If he didn't need their resources he would have already dropped them both, though getting away from the former would prove more trouble than it was worth. In all honesty, Adrien had stopped worrying about pleasing Gabriel as soon as he realized his feelings for the half-Chinese girl. Now he only used the facade his father had handed him to charm her into friendship. He couldn't care less about the Agreste image where his father was concerned. He just needed it to be good enough that Marinette wouldn't think twice about being with him.

By now he knew enough about how her parents felt about the whole ordeal. Their differing statuses wouldn't be a problem so long as he made her happy. Which was absolutely perfect because as soon as they were married, he'd make her so happy she'd never need anyone else. (Except maybe their children, but that was neither here nor there.)

 _I'm going to need a lot of cheese to get Plagg on board. I wonder how much I can get without Natalie getting too nosy._

He skillfully hid his phone under his desk to place an order. His bank activity would have to be carefully orchestrated. He'd need to look into getting a new private account asap. Money hadn't been an issue all his life, it would be laughable if it became one now.

 _We'll see each other soon, my sweet_.

* * *

"Are you sure it is a good idea to let the boy continue as he is master?" the purple Kwami asked nervously. Surely his charge would see how unhealthily Adrien was going about on the whole "first love" business.

"That is none of your concern Nooroo," Gabriel said as he examined Adrien's recent bank activity as well as the receipts and bills that dated to about three months ago. He had gone out of his way to buy the best quality in cameras and other interesting trinkets. He had observed his son's fixation since the day Nooroo had pointed it out. The more he looked into it the more similarities he found to a case that had happened nearly a century ago. His wife's side of the family had had some history with questionable sanity.

He realized Adrien's obsession had started out innocently enough, but it was evolving into something far more frightening. Adrien needed help, he knew that, but he'd have to postpone it. If that girl were to make his son jealous enough… yes that would work out wonderfully.

"Besides, he could be the key to finally obtaining the miraculouses. If I am correct, he has yet to get to the point of no return. But once he does, I will give him an offer he cannot refuse." Nooroo felt a chill run through him. His charge might think he knew what he was dealing with, but he could not be further from the truth. There was only so much control he could have over his champions, if he lost it, even that girl wouldn't be safe from the darkness.


End file.
